November 19, 2012
BISHOP, Calif. — Ancient hunters and gatherers etched vivid petroglyphs on cliffs in the Eastern Sierra that withstood winds, flash floods and earthquakes for more than 3,500 years. Thieves needed only a few hours to cut them down and haul them away.

Federal authorities say at least four petroglyphs have been taken from the site. A fifth was defaced with deep saw cuts on three sides. A sixth had been removed and broken during the theft, then propped against a boulder near a visitor parking lot.

Dozens of other petroglyphs were scarred by hammer strikes and saw cuts.

"The individuals who did this were not surgeons, they were smashing and grabbing," U.S. Bureau of Land Management archaeologist Greg Haverstock said last week as he examined the damage. "This was the worst act of vandalism ever seen" on the 750,000 acres of public land managed by the BLM field office in Bishop.

The theft required extraordinary effort: Ladders, electric generators and power saws had to be driven into the remote and arid high desert site near Bishop. Thieves gouged holes in the rock and sheared off slabs that were up to 15 feet above ground and 2 feet high and wide.

Visitors discovered the theft and reported it to the BLM on Oct. 31. BLM field office manager Bernadette Lovato delivered the bad news to Paiute-Shoshone tribal leaders in Bishop.

"It was the toughest telephone call I ever had to make," Lovato said. "Their culture and spiritual beliefs had been horribly violated. We will do everything in our power to bring those pieces back."

The region is known as Volcanic Tableland. It is held sacred by Native Americans whose ancestors adorned hundreds of lava boulders with spiritual renderings: concentric circles, deer, rattlesnakes, bighorn sheep, and hunters with bows and arrows.

For generations, Paiute-Shoshone tribal members and whites have lived side by side but not together in Bishop. But desecration of the site, which Native Americans still use in spiritual ceremonies, has forced reservation officials and U.S. authorities to come together and ask a tough question: Can further vandalism be prevented?

"How do we manage fragile resources that have survived as much as 10,000 years but can be destroyed in an instant?" asked archaeologist David Whitley, who in 2000 wrote the nomination that succeeded in getting the site listed on the National Register of Historic Places. "Do we keep them secret in hopes that no one vandalizes them? Or, do we open them to the public so that visitors can serve as stewards of the resources?"

The easy answer is to police the site and others listed under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act. But that's not possible given the condition of cash-strapped federal lands agencies, authorities said.

Authorities said the petroglyphs aren't worth a great deal on the illicit market, probably $500 to $1,500 each. But they are priceless to Native Americans, who regard the massive tableaux as a window into the souls of their ancestors.

The site is one of dozens of such locations managed by the BLM office in Bishop. A small army of volunteers has stepped up surveillance of the area.

For archaeologists, the images carved into a half-mile-long volcanic escarpment depict the culture and spiritual notions of the ancient tribes that once populated the sage flats and river valleys of the Eastern Sierra.

Paiute tribal historic preservation officer Raymond Andrews observed sacred law by quietly chanting a traditional prayer when he approached the site earlier this month.

Standing beneath a panel of geometric renderings believed to have been carved by shamans, Andrews took a slow, deep breath and said, "We still use this sacred place as a kind of church to educate tribal members and children about our historical and spiritual connections. So, our tribal elders are appalled by what happened here."

Federal authorities and Native American leaders plan to mark each defaced petroglyph with a small sign pointing out that, as archaeologist Haverstock put it, "this damage was done by malicious, selfish individuals."

The BLM is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the thieves. Damaging or removing the petroglyphs is a felony. First-time offenders can be imprisoned for up to one year and fined as much as $20,000, authorities said. Second-time offenders can be fined up to $100,000 and imprisoned up to five years.

In my perfect world, an afterlife awaits thieves of antiquities in which they experience something akin to Sisyphus.

I can't imagine an individual who lacks a conscience so much as to destroy something so distinct that has existed for a great duration of time & clearly has deep meaning for some. Particularly if done in the name of making a few bucks.

I don't know this area but these thieves went to great lengths to remove the artifacts and deface the others. Could there have been witnesses to this crime? I would hope so.........

The BLM is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the thieves.

I don't know much about rewards in these situations, but $1,000 seems far too little. It's clear that the stolen things were worth much more to those who took them, or whoever was paying them, given the effort that they put into it.

You beat me to it, Mighty. The BLM is gonna waste far more than that in
bureaucratic hand-wringing and pseudo-self-flagellation. How bout they lay
some desk jockey off and put his salary towards the reward?

Wonder if there's another story beneath the primary text: for example, is the motive behind the desecration perhaps personal revenge or even something intra-tribal? Otherwise, all you can say is that it looks like the work of knuckle heads. I remember that the commander of the US South Atlantic fleet once told me to never underestimate the power exerted by stupidity in the affairs of men. Won't really find out though until these idiots are caught, the sooner the better. Better pony up a bigger reward than a crumby grand too. Who's going to snitch for that?

This is so weak I'm kinda speachless.I'd been outta town and just heard about this.Didn't get the whole story 'til just now though.Wow!Awesome spot too.So killer to sit at those glyphs(and think)at sun up then do a little circuit.The history,the aura,the location---trashed!!I'm furious and sad.

Russ, I was thinking the same thing myself but hate to believe the govt. would do something like that to close an area. I know many of the areas I "used" to go exploring are now closed for good, as I drive the Inyos and Whites there are more and more trails and spur roads that have been closed off. Little by little.

Whoever did this wether govt. or private deserves to be hung up by the balls covered in honey over and ant hill.